Holliday Season

So, will it be the most wonderful time of the year or will St. Louis have a blue Christmas?

The news around Matt Holliday heated up last night, with Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch reporting that there was "positive movement" in that regard.  (Strauss seems to have started a habit of getting people excited about late stories, indicating they may come upon a midnight clear.  The first was David Freese's arrest, then this tweet about Holliday.)

Strauss developed on that tweet in a story out this morning, indicating that the club has offered an eight-year deal averaging about $16 million a season.  Thoughts of no-trades and opt-outs are also being bandied about.  After a weekend of silent nights, it was good to finally have some indication that things were being talked about and some stirring of the stove.

While all Cardinal fans would like to see a present under the tree this week, what kind of cost is going to be involved?  It's an awfully expensive contract, especially when you factor in a no-trade clause.  I know without a doubt that the Cards have made provisions for Albert Pujols when making this deal, but that's going to be a lot of payroll tied up between two players.

Still, getting Holliday back would make people think that Santa Claus was coming to town.  I mean, you'd have this lineup for 2010:

Skip Schumaker
Brendan Ryan
Albert Pujols
Matt Holliday
Ryan Ludwick
Colby Rasmus
Yadier Molina
David Freese

Add that to a strong rotation and solid bullpen, and even with the Phillies' acquisition of Roy Halladay, I think the Cardinals might be the slight favorites to represent the NL in the next World Series.

That might be similar to dreaming of a white Christmas, but I think it's realistically possible, especially if Brad Penny is more than a lump of coal in the Cardinals' stocking.

There's still a long way to go, but since the Grinch--I mean, the agent Scott Boras--hasn't made a lot of public proclamations, I think there's a strong chance that, if all you want for Christmas is Matt, you may have plenty of joy in your world this week.

UCB Radio Hour is tomorrow night.  I promise no singing of Christmas carols.  At least on my end--never know when Mike might get a wild hair.


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